We are a hard working family in northern California dedicated to creating a more self-sufficient, sustainable, eco-friendly way of life.

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

The Coop

Ah yes, the chicken coop. We knew the entire time that we wanted chickens, no doubt. We wanted to raise them for their eggs and enjoy them as pets. Taylor started to design the coop in October and started building it in November. We again visited Sonoma Compost, but this time to check out their recycled lumber. We ended up spending just $20 on the entire frame of the coop. We used some left over redwood 2x6 pieces for the legs and the door. We assembled the most wonderful chicken coop on December 14th and all together, spent under $200.

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We placed the redwood legs on cinder blocks so the wood wouldn't be directly in the dirt and then start to rot.

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The egg box is divided into three nesting areas

Taylor designed these removeable trays for easy access into the coop for cleaning and maintenance purposes. We planned this so the poop would fall through the grates, but chicken poop has a life of it's own, so now we lay down straw as a way to keep the area dry.